CVE-2015-5703 in Open-Xchange OX Guard
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in the public key discovery API call in Open-Xchange OX Guard before 2.0.0-rev8 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2015-5703 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Open-Xchange OX Guard authentication system, specifically affecting versions prior to 2.0.0-rev8. This vulnerability resides in the public key discovery API call functionality, which serves as a critical component for secure authentication processes within the email and collaboration platform. The flaw enables remote authenticated attackers to manipulate database queries through unspecified vectors, potentially leading to complete database compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive user information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the public key discovery API endpoint. When authenticated users make requests to this endpoint, the system fails to properly escape or parameterize user-supplied data before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL constructs that can manipulate the database query execution flow, potentially extracting, modifying, or deleting sensitive data. The vulnerability is classified as a CWE-89 SQL injection weakness, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous categories of web application vulnerabilities according to the CWE database.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft. Attackers could leverage this weakness to escalate privileges within the system, access confidential email communications, compromise user accounts, and potentially gain persistence within the organization's infrastructure. The remote authenticated nature of the exploit means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or administrative privileges to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where multiple users interact with the platform. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, as it allows attackers to leverage legitimate user credentials to execute malicious database operations.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to first obtain valid authentication credentials for the Open-Xchange system, which is a common prerequisite for many authenticated attacks. Once authenticated, the attacker can manipulate the public key discovery API call to inject malicious SQL payloads that can be executed within the database context. The lack of proper input validation in the API endpoint creates a pathway for attackers to bypass normal security controls and directly manipulate the underlying database infrastructure. Organizations using affected versions of OX Guard should immediately implement mitigations including patching to version 2.0.0-rev8 or later, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting thorough security assessments of their authentication systems. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and parameterized queries in preventing database injection attacks, reinforcing industry best practices outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST cybersecurity guidelines for web application security.